This recipe is unbeatable. HONESTLY. Try it for yourselves and tell me how good it is!

The original recipe is from David Lesniak and David Muniz of Blue Plate, and was featured as a Southern Soul article years ago in a cooking magazine. It truly truly kicks ass on any other macaroni and cheese recipe, hands down, ever.

I added herbs and made a slightly crusty/crumble topping to add crunch and texture but it's not necessary.

For the cheese sauce:

110g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

75g plain flour

750ml whole milk

3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 bay leaves

100g blue cheese (optional)

500g grated mature cheddar

Ingredients

750g macaroni

175g grated mature cheddar

175g grated Gruyère or mozzarella

Make me/ Bake me

Preheat oven to 200 C, fan 180 C, gas 6. Cook the macaroni in a pan of salted boiling water for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and run the macaroni under cold water to stop it cooking further; tip into a large bowl.

For the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a pan, then add the flour and stir constantly until the mixture takes on a deep brown color - this will take a little while. It will be golden at first, but gradually it will darken and begin to give off a nutty aroma.

At this point, slowly pour the milk, still stirring constantly, then add 1 tsp salt, the pepper, the cayenne and the bay leaves (plus nutmeg if you like). Continue stirring the sauce over a low to medium heat for about 5 minutes until it thickens - don't let it boil. Take the pan off the heat and crumble in the blue cheese, if using, and the 500g of cheddar.

Mix the cheese sauce with the macaroni, removing the bay leaves if you see them (you don't want them to burn while baking). Grease a 3 litre ovenproof dish with butter and add half of the macaroni mixture.

Mix the 175g of mature cheddar with the 175g of Gruyère. Scatter half of the cheese over the macaroni mixture in the dish, top with the remaining macaroni mixture, then sprinkle over the rest of the cheese.

Bake in the oven. for 35-40 minutes until it's bubbling and the top is golden. Remove from the oven and leave it to rest for 15-20 minutes if you like your mac 'n' cheese thick, or tuck in straight away. Serve with collard greens, kale, mustard greens, rainbow chard or any other delicious green leafy veg of your choice.

Of course I forgot my camera. I knew I would. 'Twas beautiful people. Orange and Yellow leaves turning brown and mushy and glistening under the late autumn golden (GOLDEN) sunshine honey casting long shadows. And the lush green cornish evergreens, bushes, grasses keeping it real with their green pop. Yeah, I said pop. Oh. The. Delight. You should've seen it.

And I realised I just cooked this feeling. Yup. I just cooked this feeling up. Because food is feeling. You knew that, right? I think I always did but have only just put it into words. BECAUSE FOOD IS FEELING.

I've taken the dog out for a quick early evening stroll around the neighbourhood, as everything is settling in and cooling down. There I am, with my hat, cowl and fingerless alpaca gloves (yellow ones, by brother forget in NY on our visit in March. Thanks bro. They're warm and light and don't make your palms sweat). So there I am walking around with my sunnies on into the sunset, and I smell of warm spices and creaminess. A-hum. I smell creamy. Like coconuts. You see, I've just cooked butternut squash, sweet potato, red lentil, spinach and coconut curry. Yeah. I just made that. And it smells the way I feel. Spicy, warm, vibrant, orange, glowing. Hello November. On fluffy steamy white basmati rice (like the crepuscular or 'God rays' piercing their way through the stratocumulus, get it?) . SLURRPPP.

In a s**tload of ghee or coconut oil (about half a cup) warm the asafoetida (teaspoon), the kalonji seeds (teaspoon), curry leaves (pinch, 10/20 leaves) let the aromas release, add the garam masala. Smell thaat and let it just allow you to slip into something more comfortable, ahh, breathe ... then add the blitzed onion, garlic, ginger and fresh turmeric. Punch. In the stomach much? From hunger pangs. From deliciousness.That smell!

Add butternut squash (1 large one), and two large sweet potatoes (both peeled and chopped into appetising sized cubes) and two handfuls of red lentils. 1 carton /can of coconut milk and 1 carton creamed coconut. add about 3 cups of water, salt and pepper. Let the magic happen. Keep stirring so the lentils don't catch at the bottom of the pot. It shouldn't be hard: the aromas will be bubbling up and making their way into your olfactory senses, calling you back over, time and time again. Cook till veg is soft but not mashed. Add massive handful of green beautiful spinach (chopped) at the end, stir in.

Roast the seeds in the oven with a touch of extra curry powder for extra flavour, or just in salt/pepper/paprika/chilli...you know, make it up. That's what I do.

This was my first time experimenting with ferments and pickling and sours. And it was a success I am happy report. It took all in all about 7 days to get the sauers to my liking, then in the fridge they went, and were gobbled up in about a similar space of time. What a rip off. Next time I need to make much more of it.

It was all last minute, made from left over vegetables I needed to do something with. So pickled slaw it was.

Method:

shredded Chinese white leaf cabbage

thinly sliced zucchini

thinly sliced carrots, in the round

thin strips of yellow bell pepper

salt

From Alex Lewin's informative book Real Food Fermentation I read that the basic recipe for lacto-fermented vegetables is as follows:

for every 2 lbs (900g) of vegetables use 4 teaspoons of salt

Easy. That's all there is to it.

You take your thinly shredded and sliced vegetables (it matters how you cut it) and you mix it with the appropriate amount of salt in a large glass mixing bowl. Really take your time with this. You've got to MASSAGE it in. Give it some well needed attention. Talk to it. Tell it how much you're going to love it. Do this for about 5 minutes. Squeezing and rubbing and squishing it all together, but nice and gently. You don't want to break anything, just coat it and knead it and stroke the salt in.

Put your stuff in a large clean glass jar that is larger than the amount you have. Now squish it all down. Again, do this firmly, but tenderly. You're looking to squeeze out all of the juices so ideally it covers the top of the veg. Do this nice and gently for about another minute or so. You will see the juices releasing gradually even if you don't think they are at first. That is what salt does, it draws out moisture.

Pop your tightly fitted lid on the jar and place it in a safe out of the way spot at room temperature for 4 to 7 days.

Check on it every day, stirring it up, moving things around, pushing it down and squeezing even more juice out. The pong is like no other. And I love it. By the 3rd day you should have a fair bit of juice that will cover your sour stuff. This is what allows the vegetables to ferment nicely. Keep checking back and tasting. Mine took 7 days to get it right, but I didn't have time to 'decant' it into a smaller jar on the 7th day, (on the sabbath upon which she rested?) so it was done on the 8th. Still, it was awesome. We had it with bean burgers and on some sort of chickpea wraps (can't quite remember what) and each bite was so-so yummy. Crunchy and sour and zesty and mighty damn tasty.

Use the bottom of another glass or smaller jar to squish your sour stuff down and get the juices flowing, or even your hand.

This is how much juice I got out of the first 'pressing', on the second day. Fermentation had begun:

This is what it looked like when it was ready:

Then you add some more juice to keep it cozy, and pop it in the fridge to stop the fermentation:

Tuck in! Jo étvágyat!

Here's a little secret: For a sneaky late night snack, I love to get a fork and raid the savanyusàg jar. Standing there with the fridge door open, I gently tease forth wilted fronds of crunchy cabbage and peppers and zucchini. You know what Im talking about, you've done it yourself ;)

As the enthusiastic and devoted food lover that I am, I obligingly continue to play out my own little version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar (a true foodie classic), eating, blogging, writing, reviewing and sharing it all with you along the way. For after all, ¿ mi comida es tu comida, sì?

Then every now and again something special hits the palate that really grabs me by the tastebud-balls and makes for an unforgettable experience. On our recent trip to WOMAD festival we had the great pleasure of one such flavour parade when we stopped for a quick bite of lunch at Dosa Deli.

THE DOSA. A fermented heavenly crêpe in Southern Indian cooking, made of rice flour (or gram or wheat) and black lentils, traditionally served with a spiced vegetable stuffing. The perfect delicious gluten free vegetarian option, if you ask me.

Where-oh-where have these delectable cripsy pancakes been all my life? I cannot believe I have gone 37 years without once experiencing the light, melt in the mouth miracle that is the dosa. Or perhaps, I just hadn’t had the right one.

From the first bite - we knew we were on to something BIG. Something new and exciting and interesting that made beautiful sweet music in my mouth. Yes, it really did. Winners of the WOMAD 2015 Peoples Choice Award for Best Food this crew smashed everyone else out of the muddy festival ball park winning not only our vote but a colossal tidal wave of raving punters, and so of course, I had to share the love with you guys.

Dosa Deli are doing tasty tasty dosa work. But if you don’t trust me, go ahead, be my guest and check them out for yourself. Appearing at cool London street food events, festivals and markets as well as catering for private parties and events YOU WILL LOVE WHAT YOU TASTE and go home dreaming of more for weeks to come.

Following my roundup of food at the festival-Five Days and Four Nights of Food at WOMAD chronicles - I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Amy from Dosa Deli and ask her about the driving force and inspiration behind their terrific success.

Here’s what we talked about:

WTDY: Our relationship with food begins early on at a young age, I believe. The ‘feeling’ and the ‘function’ (one might even go as far as saying the ‘meaning’) around meals, or food otherwise, when we are growing up is fairly influential. It provides for an integral component to our physical/ mental and even emotional health later on in life. Do you agree?

Amy: Yes, I agree.

WTDY: So what were your food/meal lessons growing up and how have they influenced your own attitude to food?

Amy: I am one of four children, my mum was a very traditional stay at home mum, she has always made meals from scratch, she was well known for her cakes, and always made a big effort to make meals tasty. I was a vegetarian for a while when I was younger and she made some amazing vegetarian meals for me. We often baked and cooked with her in the kitchen.

WTDY: How can we encourage others, who perhaps may not have had the support or tradition at an early age, to get more interested in their own health and well-being through the food they eat?

Amy: Through teaching them about healthy eating, and making food lables clearer. Also through food pricing, ensuring that fast food isn't cheaper than fresh healthy food.

WTDY: You can REALLY and TRULY taste the love coming through in your food. How do you, personally, stay inspired, passionate and committed to your work?

Amy: We are often blown away ourselves by dishes and flavours we eat and try in India each year, and we want to take our customers on the same experience with us. We want to show people that Indian cookery doesn't have to be complicated, and it can be healthy too. South Indian cuisine is very different to North Indian dishes which we see more commonly in the UK. South Indian food uses less chilli, less oil and embraces a lot of healthy eating practices.

WTDY: How do you then keep the recipes/dishes fresh and exciting?

Amy: By travelling to India regularly and eating new dishes. Last trip we went up into the Karnataka hills and tried some regional dishes which can only be found in the Coorg region of the Western Ghats. We bring these dishes back and make them vegetarian and then make them work in a dosa.

WTDY: Mmm sounds delicious. So, if someone is interested in adopting a more plant based diet like you say on your website i.e. ‘eat more veg and less meat’, where would you suggest they start?

Amy: We try to reduce the meat we eat, and make sure that when we do eat meat it's led a happy life, opting for organic where possible. Indian cuisine uses a lot of ingredients which are great at helping reduce the meat you eat. We often use soya chunks or mince in place of meat, this is great in a curry or chilli; it's dried soya and needs rehydrating, so different to quorn. It's also gluten free and vegan unlike quorn.

WTDY: What could you recommend as a typical well balanced meal plan for say breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Amy: I eat lots of fresh veg, and very little processed foods. I'm not an angel, I think a bit of what you fancy does you good.

WTDY: What does the future have in store for Dosa Deli?

Amy: More festivals in 2016.

WTDY: I always love asking this question because it takes everyone back to a place of healing, nurturing and rest. What do you eat as comfort food, when you are feeling very poorly and you just crave that particular something that you know (even if only mentally) will make you feel better?

Amy: I suppose it's a curry with rice. The hotter the better. A vindaloo is my favourite.

WTDY: Bonus question. What is your favourite ‘sneaky’ food?

Amy: A fish finger sandwich.

***

Follow Dosa Deli on Twitter @DosaDeli and check out upcoming events on their website www.dosadeli.co.uk or at www.kerbfood.com

I can hardly believe August has come around so quickly yet here we are soaking up the Summer and enjoying every minute of it I can assure you.

The hot and sunny weather today kicks off a full week of celebrations, sailing events, parades, Red Arrow display, live music, art exhibitions, children's activities and all the rest to the tune of Falmouth Week. It's all happening down here in gorgeous Falmouth so making the most of the heat and sunshine we started our escapades where else other than by filling our tummies in the Moor at Outlaw's Falmouth Food Festival ?

Big Ripples from Cornish Tipple

Making our way around the market we stop to have a chat with Rubina from Curio Spirits Company. Handcrafted in Cornwall, together with her husband William, their spirits are already causing a big stir. Carving through the Cornish coast making waves further ashore with luxe lifestyle aficionados, Curio was recently featured in high-end editorial, Vogue magazine. It's no surprise either once you get a little taste of their tipple. These distillations are like none you have ever experienced before. Intriguing and wonderful fragrant botanical infusions such as Cardamom or Peruvian Cocoa Nib vodka and Rock Samphire gin will reeducate your palate and redefine your understanding of crystal clean spirits. 'I hadn't ever really tasted a gin that I liked' says Rubina 'so I decided to create my own' she adds with a beautiful smile. And a good thing too. Make sure you grab yourself a bottle or three.

Insider's Tip: Bookmark their website for your Christmas/Hanukkah shopping list. Curio is going to be rocking it hard this festive season. Fo' sho'.

Plant Power

Moving through what was now beginning to become a very hot and stuffy marquee - we were drawn over to the lush green cool sanctuary at Petals and Peas. You guys know I am a massive Grown Your Own fan so coming across this little oasis was a complete treat. Ruth takes so much pride and joy in her work and you can not only see it in her happy plants, you can FEEL it too. The plantlings are brimming with a sweetness and a palpable love virtually waving hellos and yoo-hoos to all the passerbys with their friendly fronds.

Delicate pinks, bold oranges and stunning yellows splash against the vibrant chlorophyll haven in a garden of eden of edible flowers and decorative plants. You simply can't go wrong at Petals and Peas if you are looking for a special something for your budding 'plough to plate' enthusiast or just for fun, a little natural wonder for yourself. Plant medicine is coming through fast and furious folks, in case you haven't been listening. Whether you grow it, cook it, eat it or smoke it there is no denying the power plants have on brightening our moods and enhancing our environment.

Pick up a little bio flora for your home and garden every Thursday and Saturday through the summer at Falmouth Moor Market and follow Ruth online for upcoming events.

Taste Bomb

We were pretty peckish by now and after all, we had come down to grab a quick bite so on to the good eats. The menu board of The Salvador Thali Café (look them up on Facebook!) was enough to make our empty tummies grumble. Serving up Indian street food such as sensational samosas, delicious dosas and much more The Salvador Thali Café stole the show.

We can't seem to get enough of dosas since WOMAD festival last month when we were introduced to the heady spin and flavour/texture combo at Dosa Deli. Incidentally they were also voted as The People's Food Choice Winners and if you missed it, you can catch my write up here.

We order 2 putchkas - accurately referred to as the 'flavour grenade' and the masala dosa with subzi aloo. We're instructed that the putchka needs to be eaten immediately and being the good little children that we are, we obediently agree and...Whee! Away we go!

Our lovely host Maddie talks us through the engineering of the putchka, hand preparing it before us. I LOVE a friendly and knowledgable food craftsman/woman, like a narrator, she tells us the story of the taste bomb we are soon to devour. She starts with a tender cupping of the putchka vessel in one hand and a gentle cracking and prying open of the top with the thumb of her other hand and begins stuffing the yummy layers of ingredients into the hollowed belly of the empty puri ball. First, a light salad of tomatoes, red onion, parsley and chickpea. Then on to the popped rice (Bhel Puri) and bombay mixture and a dusting of chaat seasoning. Topping the filling with a healthy dollop of a silky mixture made of pureéd green chillies, peanuts (to keep it oily) and coriander stems. Finally garnishing with some fried crispy chickpea noodles ( I think). And lastly, the mojo, the sweet tangy jeera or cumin water is squirted in, filling it right up to the top, and voilà, your putchka is done and delicately handed over to you.

All in one, you pop the the little parcel in your mouth, crunch down on the delicate outer wafer and KAPOW! Prepare for a total taste sensation. And I mean sensational in that EVERY sensation in your mouth is aroused and each taste bud tickled, puckered and teased with a burst of juicy, crispy, sweet, sour flavour explosion. These guys are good. Really good. And so much fun. Because food should befun.

NOT TO BE MISSED. Follow The Salvador Thali Café on Facebook and check them out at your next local event. They do the rounds from festivals and interesting art gatherings in Penryn, to catering at beer tastings in Truro and pop-up restaurants in Falmouth. Keep an eye out for these guys, I'm telling you, you gotta get in on some of this.

There were of course many other stalls available catering to all tastes, degrees of hunger and levels of thirst. It was really nice just sitting out on the deckchairs and outdoor sofas on the artificial astroturf listening to live music baking away in the sunshine and tucking into good grub. You felt as if you were transported elsewhere and not situated smack bang in the centre of town. A Falmouth foodie's haven.

Sunday

We Came Up Trumps

True. True. And True. These guys completely deserve that title . Holding their own against all of the (delicious) carnivourous stalls, these South Indian Veggie Street Food servers won our vote by miles. In fact, it was chucking it down (rainwise) and you could even say, they swept us up up and away by a Collosal TIDALWAVE with their delicate, clean, fresh, symphony of flavours.

This is food, like you have never had it before. That Dosa wrap (a crêpe made of fermented rice & lentils) was spectacular. We're talking textures here. The outside was smooth and dry just lightly crisped, the inside, moist and soft allowing full stage for the ingredients to show off. Inside you were hit with a delicately melted mild cheese and chilli combo that blew, us, away. Sticky and sweet. Hot and spicy. Gooey and crunchy. There was no end to its delight. And light, light it was Oh-So-Light.

The Bombay Bhel was a surprising play of fresh cucumber and red onion with popped rice, peanuts and sprinkles of bombay mix. Then came along the master of the show that just pulls the whole installation together like a piece of modern art, the coconut chutney. Creamy, light coconut puree with mustard seeds, curry leaves. Pure clouds of PURUSHA. MMMMmmm, mmmm,MMmmm. Amen.

The day we went there were no cues, but by the end of the festival word has spread that THIS was the place to eat and people were steaming in, and the excellent, well organised clean kitchen and professional friendly crew and front of house had their work cut out for them with hungry bellies and mouths to feed.

Three thumbs up Dosa Deli. 5 out of 5 stars.

They do the festival rounds and cater for small parties. Definitely something to keep in mind for special occasions and get-togethers. You heard it here first.

Saturday

Fried Food Day

I wasn’t very hungry that day. Paul ended up with another burger and I just went for fries. He was making the most out of the ‘good meat’ stalls and it was proving to be a good move. Plain old cheeseburger for lunch. Juicy, well seasoned (!) - something many MANY places get wrong. Beef LOVES salt and pepper. You’ve got to feed it to it like a monster. And given time, when that flame begins to lick at and grill your patties, that beefy flavour will develop fully and you will taste that red meat in every corner of your little mouth. Yumm.

I had been having a bit of a fried dough craving - i.e. doughnuts- at the festival and to my dismay never found the right place. But you win some you lose some. I had churros that afternoon which were pretty poor. They were ‘all length and no girth’ as paul put it. True. I need a freshly fried bit of dough - how hard is that to do? beignets people? beignets? Perhaps I was asking a bit too much from what is known as The ‘World’s Festival’…hot oil, dough = doughnut. It’s not rocket science. Anyway….the churros were poor, but like I say, You win some you lose some.

Walking along I had seen a Lebanese place. The salads looked pretty legit and anyone into Middle Eastern food knows the delicious salads are the bulk of the meals. I was thrilled to see they were offering Shawarma. My favorite childhood fast food in Israel. Back then everyone was into Falafel and I just couldn't stomach it. Even too much hoummus made me sick. But a fresh pita with some lamb shawarma, a sour pickle and fresh salad, and we were in business. These guys at the Nomad Caravan had chicken instead and the shawarma seasoning was spot on.

Twas rather funny because there was a Greek stall doing chicken and lamb gyros just near by and the rivalry was rife. They each said the other one was using horse meat. Well, the 'neighs' have it.

Dinner that night was at the catering hall. Again, very pleasant. Really tasty food. We had Lasagna with chips and salad and SUPER sweet fudge/condensed milk squares with custard. I passed on the dessert and had two cups of pukka ‘cleanse’ tea instead. Just keeping on top of the ol’ system - making sure everything was moving as normal as possible and keeping to some sort of rhythm. It’s all about digestive rhythm when you go away and pig out isn’t it? At the very first indication of digestive motility slowing down, I like to hit it with some power again. Mainly water. But you know how it is, the more you drink the more you pee and peeing at festival isn’t so much fun, especially in the night time.

Thursday

Positivitea

Someone said, try the Caribbean food. So we did. What we wanted from the menu wasn’t being served (curried goat and fish and callaloo). So I asked what was on: Jerk Chicken or Jerk Pork. You see…I love a bit of jerk anything, who doesn’t? But you’re at a ‘world festival’ you ought to put yourself out a bit if you want a good reputation…or not. So we had the chicken with rice and peas. It was tasty, don’t get me wrong. The jerk seasoning was a lovely dry mixture with a healthy amount of scotch bonnet heat, and a woody thyme and peppercorn crust. The cinnamon, allspice flavours were gently coming through but nothing particularly stole the show. Rice and peas were fluffy and dry, but again, not a dish that blew us away. On to the next one.

It was late by the time we had dinner and had been on an early shift the night before so we were tired but still needed just a little more filling up in our tummies, enough to send us to bed. We stopped in a pizza tent. It was the benches and the low tables that drew us in. A nice little sit down while we ate was called for.

We went simple: Classic Margherita. Each pizza was hand rolled and baked fresh in the oven. You could taste the care that went into it. They took my cash and name and we sat down for 10 minutes until our pizza was ready. When it came up it was a good sized portion. Paul and I shared of course. Crispy light crunchy crust. Good amount of tomato sauce - which for me, in my native New Yorker roots is the ultimate sign of a good pizza - and a generous amount of stringy, melty, hot mozzarella with fragrant basil.

Good choice.

4.5 out o 5 stars. The crust could have been a tad bid thicker, for my liking, but having said that it was just right to carry the sauce and cheese as it was. And of course, it made for quicker baking. Again, I am part native New Yorker so my pizza standards are unashamedly pretty high.

The storm started coming down on us that evening. Sometimes in this British climate of eternal rain and clouds the only choice is to OFFER IT ALL UP and SURRENDER to the changing skies. It's part of living here, living on this island. So what much else is there to do other than tuck in somewhere relatively warm and dry and wrap your hands around a nice mug or cuppa tea? Make a little ceremony out of it. Call a time out, or a time in, whichever way you see fit. These guys, the Chai Tea House as they were named I believe, had the same idea.

Paul had Green Jasmine. Smokey like a dragon. I had chai. Spice and nice warms me through beginning in the belly, kindling pitta dosha: Warmth, fuel, fire, heat.

Friday

LET THE MEAT SPEAK

It was raining and it was cold. Still that wasn’t going to stop us eating our way through the festival. If anything, it gave us more reason to plough on through. I’ve always said, I am a bit like the hungry hungry caterpillar, grazing my way through life. Maybe one day, I will even turn into a beautiful butterfly.

Again, we were on the early morning shift at the spa. That was great because we got it out of the way. So, come 11 am we were ready for some lunch. We roamed around a bit in the rain and sort of knew where we were headed, because we had spotted this place the night before: The Thoroughly Wild Meat Co. Incidentally, they had their van parked right up next to our jeep in the traders/crew parking field so all roads were pointing to it. We gave it a go. Turns out these guys are butchers, that got into catering. Im very glad they did. Their meat is to die for.

OMG. yes. Oh my god. We had, the lamb and harissa burger - which was so juicy and succulent. Paul had the meaty flavours running down his fingers and hands. Bathing in - almost fluffy - ground lamb liquors. The spices were few and well balanced. The star of this show was the the quality of the meat.

Image from Thoroughly Wild Meat Co.

I went for the Salt Marsh Lamb Open Tagine Wrap. Need I say more? It came up on what was virtually a platter, not a plate. For £9 it was a feast and well worth every copper penny (I probably would have even paid more for it once I saw how large the portion was and how goddamn delicious). So we had in front of us a fire oven baked wrap, dressed with yoghurt, mint drizzle, houmous, popping juicy red cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion, coriander, parsley (and lots of it! I cannot stand when places claim they ‘do’ middle eastern food/ north african food and they scrimp on the fresh parsley and herbs. Fools. That is what makes the dishes! Anyway, TTWM Co. had that covered and I was very happy). Then we got to the lamb. Boy oh boy was that baby tender. Falling apart when gently pricked with the fork, lots of it and full of heady, intoxicating moroccan flavours, basically a Ras El Hanout variation but very subtle and not overly fragrant. Sometimes I feel these places can overdo it with the pomegranate seeds and whathaveyou. No need. Let the Meat Speak.

So yeah, this mama was a happy camper and with the rain pouring down, tucking in to hearty delicious well balanced warm and fragrant dish like that - I was set for the day.

In the evening we had crew catering - which surprisingly was pretty tasty. We had chicken curry and salad and lentils and cake and custard with hot beverages. More than anything we all enjoyed hanging out together and drying out in the warm and social catering marquee, complete with faux underfloor carpet. Nice touch WOMAD. You kept the troops happy.

Dry, Warm and Well Fed. That’s all you need when you’re camping in the UK. Recipe for success.

Back at the tent that night, for dessert we nibbled on a little chunk of home made lemon and poppyseed cake. I had baked two cakes to take with us along with other supplies for munchies. You know, to ensure we were prepared for all eventualities and to ensure we were sufficiently baked. The other cake was a vanilla chai spiced house blend sponge. That is the one with the flag in it. Cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper and ginger more specifically. These beauties served us very well for baked breakfasts and afternoon delight.

Wednesday

Evening of arrival

We’d arrived. Had wrestled a bit with the tent as the wind started picking up just as we were pitching up. Dark grey storm clouds were approaching and we were trying to make our shelter secure and safe for our 4 night stay. Two city kids - capable city kids mind you - camping for the second time. We did it. And we were very hungry by the end of it.

It was about 5/6 pm and we wandered over to a decent looking food stall, of which there were few that first night. Our Farmhouse Kitchen had just prepared a fresh beef stew and it was the only thing we wouldn’t have to wait for so we went for it.

I’m going to put something out there that I have never said before. Even to my own admission: It was truly THE BEST BEEF STEW I have ever had. Yup. There it is. Even better than my own (!) Maybe it was the fatigue of the day, the travel, the cold evening air, the anticipation and excitement of the event ahead of us, and our need to feed - but that stew, my oh my, was a winner.

Two servings handed over to us in little cardboard boxes, with wooden forks. The meaty steam permeating through the air up into our chilly empty nostrils right down to our even emptier stomachs. Unctuous. Hearty. Herby. Red wine. Reduction. Wholemeal dumplings made with beef suet. Fluffy, sticky, heavy, light. wholesome. I don't use beef suet in my dumplings because it is after all kind of unhealthy. But there certainly is a time and a place for everything, my dears. And beef suet, well, you did us a treat that night. The very large chunks of grass fed beef (3/4" cubes) dissolved in the mouth. The carrots and onions were sweet and sticky and fresh. The carrots had a bit of a bite and the onions were silky slivers sliding down the back of your throat. Big pieces of meaty pork belly added in to pull out even more f-l-a-v-o-u-r The fat just melted in your mouth. I’ve never had such tender fat before in all my life. It just disintegrated on the palate when it hit the inside warmth of your mouth. Yum.Yum .YUM. The entire ordeal was a complete delight and we were so happy to have stumbled across these guys.

We slept like babies that first night. Warm, dry and sound. The following morning everyone else on our pitch woke up with crumpled faces, saying how cold they had been in the night. How tight and achey their limbs were. Not us. I think it all had to do with our dinner of beef stew. Good hearty meal that stuck to our ribs. You see, you gotta know how to eat. It’s a skill. If you do it right, you’re a happy bunny.

After note: Paul had a bacon roll the following morning from these same fellas. It was dry, with virtually no butter and the bacon was rubbery and full of chewy fat. Big two thumbs down on that one. So stick to the stew.

Normally I am not a filo pastry type of girl. In fact, a big non-fan of anything en croute or pastry-like wrapped around meat. Ugh.

But vegetables I can abide. We had tonnes of spinach the other day from a neighbour who had a bumper crop and couldn't get rid of it quick enough. Just in time, as we were beginning to crave the fibrous winter kales and their rich leafy green goodness. I know, it's only the middle of Summer, you say. Yes, and I love this season more than words. But strong leafy green leaves (flash fried with garlic) are a weakness of mine, and also a strength. Like Popeye.

This time of year anything easy and tasty with a simple side dish is always a winner for dinner. It's a bonus if there's enough left over for a lovely no-reheating-required lunch the following day.

So ladies and gentleman, I bring you...

SPANAKOPITA, take it away!

I read a recipe online that raved about how using three different onions is the key to making a delicious spanakopita. I changed things up a bit, but liked the idea of the 3 onions. It seemed like a good place to start when building up this dish.

THE ITALIAN PURPLE SPRING ONION. And these are the stunning fresh spring onions we will be using. Just look. At. That. Sunning. Purple. Color.

THE OMBRÉ LEEK. Here is a cutting board showcasing the gentle pastel hues of the chopped leek you will be preparing. Yes, I take pictures of chopped vegetables. They are beautiful. Enjoy the process of cooking. Imagine all the sunlight, water and energy that went into your leek creating this delicious object for you to savour. This is yoga.

RAINBOW CHARD. I also threw in a few leaves of rainbow chard from our little patch in the garden. I haven't included these in the recipe but they were ready for eating so figured, what the heck.

I added a whole load of other ingredients as you will see: nutmeg, soft quark cheese, chilli flakes, roasted pine nuts. This recipe is so adaptable the sky's the limit. While we were mmm-mmming away between bites, Paul and I were coming up with many variations: slivers of sun dried tomatoes, juicy olives... I mean, this probably takes away somewhat from the authenticity of the original version, but then, food is for eating and treating and loving and sharing. And growing. And changing and testing and trying.

** BIG TIP: Leave to cool for as long as you can resist. **

All the flavours 'bloom' and are at their fullest, like the cheese, the spinach and the olive oil, at room temperature.

It's definitely worth the wait.

I'd love to hear how it went for you. Please leave a comment and share any pictures if you like. Have fun cooking, good lookin'.

How It All Comes Together:

Preheat the oven to medium-high, around 190 C˚.

Heat some olive oil in a large pan and sauté the two onions and leek until translucent, about 3 minutes. Tip in the spinach and continue to cook until everything is nice and soft and wilted together. Allow to cool. (We don't want the eggs to cook when we add them later).

Toast the pine nuts, around 1 minute. We want them to start releasing their beautiful fragrant oil. A few burnt ones are fine and will add depth but try and avoid it, if you can.

Lightly oil the cast iron skillet, in preparation.

Add the soft herbs and feta cheese to the spinach mixture. Then the pine nuts, the chilli flakes, the nutmeg and the quark. Give it all a good mixing. Pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Pour the eggs into the spinach filling till well combined.

Open up the filo pastry and place on a work surface. Cover with a damp cloth immediately between each sheet and keep covered when not in use.

Layer the filo sheets in the skillet, allowing the edges to hang over the sides of the pan, brushing each layer generously with olive oil.

Use half, or just over, to make the bottom layer.

Spoon the spinach mixture over the filo sheets in the skillet and smooth the filling up into the edges to ensure it's level and even throughout.

Repeat layering with the remaining filo, oiling each sheet generously. Fold all of the edges over creatively. Go crazy, it's your pie.

It's a great idea to score the pastry now, before baking to enable easier slicing when cooled. Make sure you score through ONLY the top layers.

Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for approximately 40-45 minutes until it is golden brown.

Allow to cool.

Enjoy!

1 box of filo pastry (containing approximately 12 sheets)

Olive Oil for brushing

1 kg chopped spinach, fresh if possible, but frozen will do

6 spring onions

1 large leek

1 red onion

3-4 large handfuls of chopped fresh soft herbs: dill, parsley, mint, lovage are all great

400g feta cheese

1 pot of quark cheese (optional - I add this because spinach can sometimes feel a bit 'slimy' if there is a lot of it and I wanted to give the pie more body to balance this out

2 large organic eggs (beaten)

2 -3 Tbsp freshly grated nutmeg

250g pine kernels

2 tsp chilli flakes

salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt, the feta will carry enough of its own)

Eat your greens, kids!

This beauty is a chop and mix deal: Chop everything up, mix it together, you're done.

It's best prepared in advance so the flavours can meddle. We like to have this at just above room temperature as a side dish or even as a main with some grains, brown rice, or quinoa. It works well warmed up too, served with your choice of accompaniment. Feel free to play around with its versatility: twist it all up in a wrap with some yoghurt drizzle and houmous, or it makes a great lunch with eggs and ripe creamy avocado slices and toasted pitta bread.

This recipe is also a massive hit at BBQs - but be warned, you'll be asked to make it over and over again for the rest of your summer al fresco entertaining days. Also, it keeps in the fridge for a week or so, so again, it's handy to scoop out into as a small bowlful as a quick, filling, low fat, high protein snack. Very important when you are on the go and time is precious. Trust me, this one will become a family favourite in no time. Have a play and let me know what you think

As ever, try and use the freshest ingredients possible and choose local and organic if available. The taste will be well worth it. Try experimenting with chives, or the very softest, very newest baby leaves of thyme and/or oregano tips. No woodiness please.

How We Do

Wash the tomatoes and the herbs really well in a colander, Chop the tomatoes up to slightly larger than the kidney beans, so if it's a cherry tomato, quarters is probably just right. Place in your large mixing bowl.

Chop the spring onions, on the diagonal or into rings, however you prefer, breaking them up a little if you can into ring-lets, but it's not biggie if you don't, they will break up as you mix everything together, you just kind of want to help them along. Add to the bowl.

To take the 'POW' out of the red onions, I like to slice these razor thin and then soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes beforehand, drain well. This brings out the sweetness but keeps the gentle crunch. Add to the bowl.

Give the herbs a thorough seeing to by chopping and turning REALLY well, 1-2 minutes should do. Using the heel of your hand as an anchor, place it firmly over the top, dull side of the blade, cutting edge down, on the chopping board (fingers up away from blade!) , whilst with the other hand holding the handle like holding a bicycle handle, using a firm, steady, and rhythmic up and down motion get those lovely greenies all chopped up. We don't want it powder fine but very small is good. It will add so much more flavour to each bite that way. This is a great tip I picked up in the Middle East, the importance of a fine parsley chop, you'll know what I mean when you do it for yourself. AGAIN, WATCH THOSE FINGERS! Add to the bowl

Mix and taste again before serving, scooping up all the delicious juices from the bottom to the top, Check seasoning, acidity and oil. You want it slippery, and juicy but not oily and soggy dripping wet.

Sprinkle with seed garnish before serving.

Enjoy!

2 cans of drained kidney beans (rinsed), or soak the beans overnight and cook and cool the following day, like I do

Nearly the equivalent of beans in various seasonal freshly chopped tomatoes, various colours and shapes make it more interesting

My love for pickled, fermented and otherwise 'conserved' food in glass jars originates from my time spent living in Hungary. The gastronomy of the land of the Magyars is relatively varied although on the whole I think it could be settled that their delicious food is somewhat rather rich. Lots of pork. Lots of bread. Lots of sour cream. I love all three, preferably together like in a pörkölt (braised stew), but boy oh boy can it be a bit heavy on the digestion.

The clever magyars however are experts in having their cake and eating it too. Various digestive aids are consumed prior, during and after meals to reduce that horrible over stuffed feeling. Using caraway seeds, perhaps even just a teaspoon, scattered in a dish, is very beneficial for its soothing properties and helps lessen heartburn, gas, and bloating. Similar to indian 'mukwas' in a way I suppose but the seeds are added to the dish during cooking and not chewed after.

Another trick up their sleeve is liquor, of course. There are several aperitifs that boast to be post dinner digestive elixirs but none as much as Unicum. This stuff is bitter and it will put hairs on your chest. In other words, it works.

But I am more interested in something tastier. The pickled stuff or 'savanyuság' (shah- vah-NYOO-shogge) in hungarian. It translates literally to 'sour stuff'. These people can pickle anything and make it taste delicious. It is customary with virtually any meal to have an array of savanyuság side dishes accompanying the main course. Often a small side plate is set at the table for each guest to place their selection of sour stuff in so the pickled juices don't meddle with the main course and ruin the taste. But at home, you slop it right onto your plate in and amongst the rest of your food, letting the sour brine trickle through the dish which actually tastes better for it. The array of savanyusag can vary tremendously from spicy pickled baby white peppers (that are actually a very pale yellow) stuffed with cabbage, to mixed vegetables, beets, fat cucumbers, traditional sauerkraut and even baby watermelon! As long as it is vinegary it's on the menu. You see, by pickling food we're transforming the environment into an acidic and inhospitable environment for most microbes. However the microbes that do survive in pickle juice are safe for us to eat and many of them actually enhance our digestion. Like I say, the hungarians can pickle anything. It's how they get through life.

Most hungarians still grow their own something or other. They respect the purity of nature and make use of what they have, the remainder they share. One of my fondest memories as a kid in the summer time was helping our next door neighbour, a grandma named Jolánka, to pick our sun kissed fresh ripe apricots from our tree in the garden and make them into the most delicious jam I have ever tasted. Fact.

The fertile months of summer deliver a bumper crop of everything and anything and hungarians are not people to let food go to waste. So they save it for later. For the long hard bitter cold winters. Pickle it. Ferment it. Stuff it. Jam it. Preserve it. Conserve it. Rows and rows of glistening glass jars all lined up neatly and stacked perfectly in the 'spejz' (larder pantry). By the end of the summer/ early fall walking in to a fully stocked fresh larder is truly a sight to behold.

I am making my own sour stuff this summer and will be taking you through it step by step with a few variations on the technique. So go grab yourself a crunchy sour pickle and stay tuned.

We got caught out in the rain walking bubba this afternoon. Pretty soaked in fact, but is was nice. When you're that wet, after a while you don't even mind. You slow down and listen to the tapping of the rain drops on the leaves, on the cement, on your hood, watch it ripple as they hit the puddles...

What else was there to do afterwards other than head in for a hot beverage?

First this, at Espressini. 60% cacao hand stirred hot chocolate. Downed in two minutes. We also had a custard tart that was devoured within seconds. That place is so good.

Then these flat little organic Portuguese beauties from the Natural Store.

I ponder: Some days are a tale of two halves. Getting completely drenched. Then getting completely lost in a luxurious swirl of creamy indulgent cocoa. The best of both worlds.

Holding grace within your #SattvaSelf blossoms this peachy, warm and fuzzy type of freedom. From within that free space, or knowing consciousness, we observe the infinite possibilities continuously unfolding for us. Life is always in full bloom.

Like standing at the edge of a spectacular cliff in your #creationcastle. You can see everything exists, purely for you. It's where you decide what is yours and what is not.

It was a lovely hot sunny Sunday. We had opened up the tent for summer festival inspection. All was clear. Nothing rotten, torn, stinky or dead found in it. Had taken the boppa out along the promenade for a beautiful walk. Returned home and sat in the garden reading and making crochet squares.

Me, Fruit Bomb: Green Apple, Melon, Pistachio, Lemon, Kiwi. You get as many flavours as you want in any size.

Colourful fruity swirly goodness.

They even have this pretty tile pattern around the shop front, you can't miss it.

Sunny, bright, cheerful and delicious. Perfect Summer's day if you ask me.

I was so busy taking pictures my ice cream started melting. But I'm a pro. No drips on my watch.

Next time you're in town and you fancy a super tasty treat, you've got to make your way down to this little gelatieria. It's on 44 Church Street in Falmouth. Use the map below and the link above to find it, or contact me and I'll drop everything to come and join you.

I could hardly wait to put this recipe up. I literally sat down in front of the computer just as I was finishing up my last yummy spoonful. THIS SOUP IS INSANELY DELICIOUS. And it's so simple to make, it hurts. As far as one pot meals go, this baby is a winner.

You probably have most of the ingredients left over in your larder anyway. It's a total doddle to rustle up, cooks in no time at all and keeps for days. If I could I would be shoving a small taster pot of this in your hand as we speak. I promise, you are going to love it.

Over a high heat brown the ground beef. Add the spices, let the aromas release. To the beef mixture add the peppers and celery, then the onions and garlic. Reduce the heat. Keep stirring as the vegetables begin to soften. Tip in the passata, half the stock, the sugar, salt, black pepper and the rice. Put a lid on it. Bring to a boil and simmer. Keep tasting and stirring, adding more stock/ water to suit your taste. When your rice is cooked, your delicious stuffed pepper soup is ready to serve. Yumm.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream/ greek yoghurt/ crème fraîche, grated cheese, fresh coriander leaves, a squeeze of lime juice and tuck in with some lightly salted tortilla chips.

Yeah. I know. It's so good. It's shut the f**k up good.

This picture does not do it justice. I was just too hungry to stop and shoot.

You know that point in your life when everything changed forever? That was for me The Truth of The Matter, an oracle of soul wisdom that reinterpreted the power of living my best life yet by invoking courage to move beyond the illusion of death.